


The Bright Edge of Summer

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [291]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 16:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19430074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: Arcadian Pride - A Tale of Two Picnics





	The Bright Edge of Summer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [davaia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/davaia/gifts), [obi_ki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/obi_ki/gifts).



> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta Helen  
> Laura McEwan for posting to the Master Apprentice ML  
> Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3  
> Alex for inspiring Arcadia 
> 
> References:  
> [Wilde Night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1907883)  
> [In The Forest](https://allpoetry.com/In-The-Forest)  
> [The Judas Kiss (play) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Judas_Kiss_\(play\))
> 
> Sweet Sixteen stories:  
> [Valentine Sweet Sixteen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5728579)  
> [Halloween Sweet Sixteen ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381871)
> 
> The Fourth of July in Arcadia:  
> 2004 -- [Independence Day: Let Freedom Ring](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798048)  
> 2005 -- [Declaration of Independence](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1819468)  
> 2006 -- [Meditations on Freedom](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1907862)  
> 2007 -- [An Arcadian Picnic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1953027)  
> 2008 -- [A Dazzling Display](http://www.masterapprentice.org/archive/1/127dazzlingdisplay.html)  
> 2009 -- [Fourth and Maine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4260111)  
> 2010 -- [Two Hundred and Counting](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312143)  
> 2011 -- [Independence Day at Lake Saasta](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4366031)  
> 2012 -- [Wool-gathering in Stratford](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388408)  
> 2013 -- [Independence Day in June](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397081)  
> 2014 -- [The Porch of July](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1952985)  
> 2015 -- [A Historic Fourth of July](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4259967)  
> 2016 -- [Independence Monday](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7415113)  
> 2017 -- [A Neighborhood Celebration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11386749)  
> 2018 -- [Playtime in Alder Run](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15111467)

A Tale of Two Picnics

Saturday, June 15th

"Please pass the potato salad!" Quinn sang out.

He and Ian were enjoying the Pride celebration at Luke on Saturday, June 15th. This was not just the yearly festival but the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. A truly monumental occasion. Though neither of them had even been born yet in 1969, they both continued to be deeply affected by the start of the modern LGBT civil rights movement.

Of course, there were some who pushed back against progress, but that was the way of things, Quinn thought philosophically.

Before they had met, the two of them were so deeply closeted that they'd never had lovers at all, concentrating their energy on building academic careers. Then, a magical train ride changed all that in the time it took to go from Grand Central Station to the South Bay stop on Amtrak, a couple of miles away from Mace University in Windover, Massachusetts.

That was their own Stonewall Moment - the momentous decision to take the chance of coming together to create something marvelous or to continue to hide in the shadows. They chose the Light on that May afternoon on the bright edge of summer.

All of the joy they had now came from that one simple decision.

It had taken years for them to come out to everyone in their orbit, but it started with one act of shared courage. And now, they shared so much more..

Sharing their lives and a home together. Their marriage. Their very openness about their orientation in all parts of their world - work, play, and everything in between.

Today, in the company of their peers, they could feel the progress they had made in their very bones. They were part of the university community just like everyone else.

And it felt good.

They'd just ambled over from the theater inside the student center, where they had participated in a reading of famous LGBT writers, with Quinn bringing the poetry of Oscar Wilde and A.E. Housman to life, and Ian doing the same for the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare.

Now they were having a picnic lunch with their colleagues on the tables outside the student center. Surrounded by their friends from the English Department and Luke-Loves, they basked in the beautiful weather on the bright edge of summer, just as they had 16 years ago for the first time.

They had celebrated their own private 'Sweet Sixteen's before - notably, on Valentine's Day in 2016, when Quinn went out of his way to create a teenage dream for Ian, an old-fashioned date night, complete with burgers and shakes at Rex's Diner. And then again on Halloween in 2018, when they'd celebrated their 16th Halloween together with their friends at the Sunset Tower.

Ian wore a tie-dyed t-shirt in all the colors of the rainbow over a pair of Bermuda shorts he'd actually bought in Bermuda on their vacation. Quinn was wearing Bermuda shorts as well, beneath a polo shirt from their cruise to Rishey, complete with a painting of a Great Blue Heron on the front.

Quinn was sitting next to his favorite oak tree in the courtyard, close enough that he was partly covered by the dappled shade of leaves and branches. The weather was as delightful as the occasion itself, a balmy 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the birds, with their multi-colored plumage, decided to join in - robins, bluejays, finches, and tanagers flew overhead, savoring the trees around them as much as Quinn did. A squirrel tried to compete with him for a delicious morsel he'd dropped on the table, but Quinn's Jedi reflexes were faster. Ian winked at him as he popped the morsel into his mouth.

Rissian's had done a wonderful catering job for them, designing each drink and dish with a rainbow of colors in mind. Lemonades in many flavors - raspberry, mango, and watermelon; Quinn's favorites - miniature hot dogs with sauerkraut, mustard, and relish; sliders with lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese; tri-colored tortellini salad with spinach, tomato, and whole-grain pasta; and spumoni and rainbow squares for dessert. Even the potato salad that Quinn was asking for had purple onions, chopped green and red peppers, and carrots in it.

Ian and Quinn sat side by side, with Case and Billie & Bant and Ethan to Ian's left, and their friends from Luke-Loves - Theresa and Alison & Marty and Tim - on Quinn's right.

"Quinn, I loved your reading of 'In the Forest'," said Marty. "You really bring Wilde to life."

Theresa nodded. "Reminds me of when you took us to see 'The Judas Kiss' on Broadway." She was referring to the play by David Hare, which dramatized the doomed romance of Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas. Her brown curls shone in the sunlight.

Quinn said, "We were lucky to see it. The play premiered at the West End in London - there's no way we all could have gone abroad during the semester."

"I would have hated to miss it," Tim said, adjusting his glasses. "Gleason and Gregory were just astounding as Wilde and Douglas."

"Incredible performances," Alison said. "It felt like they were channeling Oscar and Bosie."

"Gleason is one of our finest actors," Ian said, gazing at Quinn with a sparkle in his eyes..

Quinn had already lost count of the sliders he'd eaten, and he was paying more attention to the food than the conversation.

"Great turn-out this year," Case said with satisfaction, then took a sip of his raspberry lemonade.

Billie said, "I've never seen the Green Row so crowded before." She referred to the part of the campus where the original greystone buildings still stood, dating from the 1700s.

Every year more and more folks come to join in," Ian said in delight. "We've got more than a thousand members in Luke-Loves, and the university community," he smiled at Quinn and his friends, "is very supportive of everyone."

Bant said, "I felt it even before I started dating Eth. And ever since then, you've made me feel like an honorary member of the English Department here."

Quinn waited to speak until he was between bites on his third miniature hot dog. "And by now, you've all but gotten tenure."

Bant and Ethan beamed at him.

Quinn said, "I love the new Skyhawk balloon in rainbow colors they had for the campus Pride Parade this year, especially his blue and green wings."

"It was Coach Rance's idea to have it flying at the stadium and all of the Luke sporting competitions from now on," Ian said happily, his pride in his coach and university loud and clear.

And Quinn knew without a doubt that what they really were savoring, beyond the delicious food and even better company was...

The taste of freedom.

* * *

Thursday, July 4th

It took almost three weeks for the bright edge of summer to fulfill its promise on the Fourth of July. This time, the picnic was at the professors' home at 242 Templeton Way. Since it was a Thursday, this was the start of a four-day holiday weekend for them. They'd timed the party around the Alder Run fireworks at 9 p.m. Family, friends, and neighbors filled the backyard with holiday cheer that evening as they sat at two picnic tables, one of which they'd brought over from the Changs' yard earlier today.

One table had neighbors and friends, while the table nearer to the kitchen door had their hosts and their family. This way, the professors could get anything they needed more quickly. Ian and Quinn sat with both sets of parents, Kathy, Monty, Han, and Lelia. Their little girl had grown into a beautiful teenager; she was 15 years old now, which was almost impossible for her uncles to believe. Han believed it, though, and felt honored to be her boyfriend. Her hair had darkened to a lovely shade of brown even in the summertime, and she loved wearing it in a bun to keep cool on these warm July nights.

Quinn was the Master at barbecuing in their neighborhood, grilling the juiciest burgers and hot dogs in Templeton Way.. Even the usually temperate Ian had been known to eat a couple of them apiece when the party got going. Quinn didn't need a 'Kiss the cook' apron; his lad had peppered him with kisses throughout the hours of preparation for the cookout, so he was well-seasoned already. And definitely a bit spicy for Ian.

Ian had made his famous tuna-macaroni salad, while their folks had brought various side dishes.. Prudence and Violet tempted everyone with their luscious desserts - Key lime pie and dark-chocolate cake with vanilla icing.

"You've added oregano to the burgers this year," Keith said, his keen palate picking up on each ingredient.. "Very tasty," he added in approval.

"Yes, I thought it would be delicious with the garlic salt," Quinn said, pleased that his culinary innovation was a success.

"I'm glad the local weather forecast was wrong, as usual," Ginny said. "They predicted rain tonight, and there's not a cloud in the sky."

"Good visibility for the fireworks," said Ian with childish glee as he winked at Lelia and Han, and was delighted when they smiled back. Their de facto Padawans were in good form tonight - refilling cups of juice, bringing platters of food to the tables, clearing plates, and helping out with the trash. Ian saw with approval that they were especially considerate of their elderly guests, making a point to chat with Mr. Jefferson, Violet, and Prudence, as well as their grandparents.

"Alder Run puts on my favorite fireworks of the holiday," said John as he was finishing up a piece of pie. "Every year, they have Roman candles, which I've loved ever since I was a boy."

Quinn nodded in delight. "Yes, I'll never forget the night I watched them with you for the first time." It had been one of the formative influences of his early childhood, marveling at the green saber rushing up to meet the night sky. "'Twas pure magic."

"Wow!" breathed Ian. "I never knew that."

Jo chuckled. "You've been obsessed with lightsabers since you were five years old."

"Just like I was, laddie," Quinn said, with what Ian would swear was a saber-toothed smile.

"Made for each other," Kathy said, dimpling at her brothers-in-law.

"Ent that the truth," said Ian, just to get his family to give out the first holiday groan of the evening.

"And our very own Treebeard is sitting right here," Monty said, nodding to Quinn.

The first fireworks chose that moment to light the night sky, man-made stars joining the real ones in the heavens. They all looked up, enchanted by the display. A diadem reminded Ian of Arwen's crown, while the willow reminded him of Old Man Willow in the Withywindle Valley. Peonies and chrysanthemums brought Quinn thoughts of his garden. And the multi-colored fountains charmed all of them. Last, by tradition, the Roman candles soared into the starscape, blazing their green and blue fire.

After the show ended, they were all quiet for a moment before everyone pitched in to clean up. Then the guests said their goodbyes until finally just the professors were left, sitting side by side on a redwood bench.

Ian nestled into Quinn as his husband wrapped his arms around him. "The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday," he murmured.

"Better than Christmas?" asked Quinn, ruffling copper strands in a tender glide.

"Yes, because it's all about freedom." Ian gave a tiny lick to the point of Quinn's chin.

Quinn nodded. "Ever since we met, we've pushed the boundaries of what's considered possible." He kissed the top of Ian's head. "In 2003, we couldn't even get married."

"We've been on a path of ever-greater freedom with each passing year." Ian's breath tickled the little hairs of Quinn's sideburns. "And that's what this holiday means to me."

Ian turned his face up for a coruscating kiss, a fitting way to celebrate their 16th Fourth of July, with the magnificent...

Taste of freedom.


End file.
